March 14, 2007

Interesting new report from The Sentencing Project

The Sentencing Project has released a new study reporting growing momentum for sentencing reform designed to limit prison population growth and reduce ballooning corrections budgets in the United States.

Changing Direction? State Sentencing Reforms 2004-2006 finds that at least 22 states have enacted sentencing reforms in the past three years. The report further identifies that the most popular approach for reducing prison crowding -- implemented by 13 states -- was the diversion of low-level drug offenders from prison to drug treatment programs. Additional policy changes included:

expansion of alternatives to incarceration for non-violent offenders;

parole and probation reforms designed either to reduce time served in prison or to provide supervision options to reduce the number of revocations to prison; and

Changing Direction? State Sentencing Reforms 2004-2006 argues that in order to build on these positive legislative developments, lawmakers must continue to enact evidence-based criminal justice policies. Recommendations of The Sentencing Project urge that policymakers:

expand the use of drug treatment as a sentencing option;

utilize intermediate sanctions for technical violations of parole and probation;

Comments

I am the relative of someone who has been incarcerated. It is a first time offense, and I was wondering if the law is changing where a person spends 65% of their sentence instead of having to pull 85%. I hear that there is a new law that is suposed to go into effect this month concerning this. Could you please tell me if this is correct? Thank you very much!

Posted by: M | Jul 9, 2007 10:34:15 PM

Post a comment

In the body of your email, please indicate if you are a professor, student, prosecutor, defense attorney, etc. so I can gain a sense of who is reading my blog. Thank you, DAB